The last few weeks it seems like there's been a mass exodus of coaches leaving the MAC conference. Jerry Kill left Northern Illinois for Minnesota, Al Golden said goodbye to Temple to take the Miami job, and Mike Haywood left Miami (OH) to take over in Pittsburgh. So far this offseason Ball State was the only school in the conference to lose its head coach by choice, and now it has found a replacement.

Ball State announced on Sunday that it had hired Pete Lembo to take over the program.

"We are extremely excited to have Pete Lembo join the Ball State family,” said Ball State athletic director Tom Collins in a statement. “The search for our next football coach included talking to a number of people in the football world. Coach Lembo’s name and credentials continued to surface as an outstanding candidate for Ball State University. We are looking forward to his contribution to the program and looking forward to getting started in preparation for Ball State football 2011.”

Lembo comes to Ball State from Elon, where he went 35-22 in five seasons. Before that Lembo was the head coach at Lehigh, going 44-14 in five seasons. Ball State will be the first time Lembo has coached on the FBS level, either as a head coach or assistant. Of course, considering it's Ball State, he probably won't even notice the difference.

In particular, Jenkins praises Kelly's "character and values," calling them in line with Notre Dame's highest standards but at the same time failing to reconcile them with the Sullivan accident in any way. Indeed, it's telling that the only voice to come out of Notre Dame with any acknowledgment of responsibility in the accident isn't coming from the athletic department. If Kelly and Swarbrick follow suit in the coming days, however, then Jenkins' statement about Kelly's values will be vindicated, even at great financial cost to Notre Dame. But that's a small price to pay given the situation, isn't it?

The tragic accident that took Declan Sullivan's life just over a week ago, the Mass of Remembrance in the Basilica, and his family's faith-filled funeral for him this week have given each of us the chance to grieve, remember and pray. Declan was a bright and energetic young man who lived his life with passion. We will miss him, and we believe that he is in the loving embrace of our Lord.

Over this past week, I have had the great privilege of meeting with and trying to provide some measure of support to Declan's parents, sister, brother and other members of his family. Many Notre Dame faculty, staff and students also have reached out to offer their assistance. Yet the Sullivan family, through their incredible grace and courage, has given us support and an example of how to respond. They ministered to us as we tried to minister to them.

There is no greater sadness for a university community than the death of one of its students under any circumstances. Yet this loss is more devastating, for Declan died in a tragic accident while in our care. For that, I am profoundly sorry. We are conducting an investigation and we must be careful not to pre-judge its results, but I will say this: Declan Sullivan was entrusted to our care, and we failed to keep him safe. We at Notre Dame - and ultimately I, as President - are responsible. Words cannot express our sorrow to the Sullivan family and to all involved.

I am committed to determining why this accident happened and to ensuring the safety of our students. We have been conducting an internal investigation to examine this accident from every possible perspective and to draw conclusions and formulate recommendations for the future. In order to ensure that our inquiry has been thorough, unbiased and accurate, I have asked Dr. Peter Likins, former President of the University of Arizona, to provide an external review of our inquiry, and he has graciously accepted.

In selecting someone to review our investigation, I sought an individual experienced in higher education, with an impeccable reputation for integrity, intellect and independence. In Dr. Likins, we are fortunate to have just such a man. He brings numerous credentials to this assignment: as a world-renowned engineer; as a university administrator who served as provost at Columbia and president at Lehigh and Arizona; as a highly regarded member of numerous NCAA committees; and as a member of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics.

Investigations and external reviews such as this take time, but I assure you that, when complete, we will issue a public report on the outcome, including information on the events of the afternoon of Oct. 27, any institutional ramifications, and recommendations for safety policies in the future.

Finally, in light of what I believe to be unfounded and unfair commentary and speculation, I want to say something about Coach Brian Kelly. Coach Kelly was hired not only because of his football expertise, but because we believed his character and values accord with the highest standards of Notre Dame. All we have seen since he came to Notre Dame, and everything we have learned in our investigation to date, have confirmed that belief. For those reasons I am confident that Coach Kelly has a bright future leading our football program.

Thank you for your concern, and your prayers. At the darkest moments, the love, and care, and faith of the Notre Dame family shines most brightly.